February 2008
Another busy month for records, with most interest again focussed on the Lower Derwent Valley. Up to 50 Whooper Swans remained in the North Duffield/Bubwith area while two Bewick’s Swans were seen with the herd on the 25th. A skein of c.100 Pink-footed Geese flew west-southwest over South Bank in the early morning of the 7th and an adult White-fronted Goose was present on the pool at Wheldrake Ings on the 28th. A good variety of ducks was attracted to the receding floods in the Lower Derwent Valley with large numbers of Wigeon and Pintail in particular. The female Scaup remained at Castle Howard Lake where the ‘redhead’ Smew was rediscovered on the 9th but proved to be quite elusive, seemingly spending most of its time out of sight behind the eastern island! Up to 25 Goldeneye and 15 Goosander were also reported with 18 of the latter on the fishing pond between Elvington and Wheldrake on the 4th, though only single figures were noted at other sites. Grey Partridges were reported from Breighton airfield, Copmanthorpe and Langwith Lakes while an early breeding attempt by the Great Crested Grebes at York University unfortunately failed due to the lake freezing over, but the pair was soon at it again! A Red Kite was seen from the A1079 near Barmby Moor on the 27th but it has become apparent that birds occur more regularly in our area than is reported... Sightings of Common Buzzard continue to increase, with several birds being seen together around Pocklington and Skipwith. Single Merlins were seen at North Duffield Carrs on the 3rd and Clifton Ings on the 29th while at least one Peregrine was regularly reported from Wheldrake Ings. Impressive flocks of Golden Plover and Lapwing provided entertainment, particularly in the Lower Derwent Valley where up to at least 100 Dunlin and Ruff were noted, although one of the latter on the village green at North Duffield on the 19th was much more unusual and seemed unperturbed by local schoolchildren marching past! A Woodcock was seen in Askham Bog on the 10th with a single Black-tailed Godwit present at North Duffield Carrs on the 25th. A first-winter Mediterranean Gull roosted at Wheldrake Ings on the 3rd where up to three different Glaucous Gulls and Iceland Gulls also roosted, particularly towards the end of the month, with some of these birds occasionally roosting at North Duffield Carrs and several were regularly seen feeding at Harewood Whin landfill site near Rufforth; an Iceland Gull was also reported with a small number of other gulls at Acaster Malbis on the 20th. A putative juvenile Thayer’s Gull or hybrid was reported from the Wheldrake roost on the evening of the 23rd, but was not seen again and will likely remain as ‘one of those that got away’... Single adult Yellow-legged Gulls were also reported in the roost at Wheldrake Ings with one at Clifton Ings on the 2nd being a good record. Turning to passerines, many species started to sing bringing some thoughts of spring – but not for long! These included Skylarks in several areas, their song always being most welcome and uplifting for many people. Woodlarks also returned to local breeding sites and although their song is likewise evocative, it is heard much less often and so is less familiar. At least 50 Meadow Pipits were at Naburn Sewage Works on the 16th where reasonable numbers of Pied Wagtails continued to feed on the filter beds. The lone Waxwing lingered at Strensall until the 14th and continued to draw a steady stream of admirers during its stay, while numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing were not particularly high. A wintering Chiffchaff of the nominate race (usual one here) showed well near Naburn Sewage Works on the 16th  with another reported from Askham Bog on the 23rd as well as a Nuthatch. A Great Grey Shrike found in the northern part of the reserve at  North Duffield Carrs on the 28th would have been well appreciated had it hung around but was last seen flying off to the west. Finch flocks were much in evidence in several areas with one such aggregation near Copmanthorpe on the 16th including at least two Brambling while up to six birds were attracted to the feeders by the Geoff Smith hide at North Duffield Carrs throughout the month. The Linnet flock at Rawcliffe Meadows NR peaked at 100+ birds mid-month while a Mealy Redpoll was still feeding on nettles near Danesmead Copse in Fulford on the 3rd, though fewer Lesser Redpolls and Siskins were noted this month. The farmland between Acaster Malbis and Copmanthorpe seemed to be particularly good for granivorous passerines with up to 30 Yellowhammers and 25 Reed Buntings being counted while up to 18 Corn Buntings came in to roost at Clifton Ings during the first half of the month.

January 2008
A glut of records was received this month as more observers went out into the field to get their year lists off to a good start and clear any Christmas overindulgence out of their system! Most of the interest, as ever, was in the Lower Derwent Valley until severe flooding made many areas inaccessible. There was also a good number of reports from far-flung parts of the recording area as volunteers covered rarely visited sites as part of the ongoing BTO Bird Atlas. Up to 55 Whooper Swans were lingering in the North Duffield area with a single Bewick’s Swan being noted with the herd from the 20th. Seven Pink-footed Geese were at Castle Howard early in the month when three were at Wheldrake Ings, but a sizeable movement was documented on the 28th and 29th with counts of 300+ over the Lower Derwent Valley, 250 over Pocklington, 220 over Heslington, 200 over Clifton Ings and 120 over Acomb with birds heard passing overhead at night in York. Up to five White-fronted Geese remained at Wheldrake Ings early on with six Shelduck loosely associating with the swan flock at North Duffield on the 20th. No counts of dabbling duck were received but diving ducks were well represented with c.150 Pochard at Castle Howard Lake on the 5th and c.100 at Wheldrake Ings over the weekend of the 26th and 27th. A female Scaup was present throughout the month at Castle Howard Lake with two noted there on the 22nd when at least 26 Goldeneye and 19 Goosander were counted. A ‘redhead’ Smew was reported from the Great Lake around this time while a covey of nine Grey Partridges flew out of a field at Buttercrambe on the 5th. A freshly dead but badly oiled Red-throated Diver was found by the side of Castle Howard Lake the same day while single Little Grebes were noted on the Ouse at Fulford Ings on the 3rd and by the Derwent at Malton on the 5th with 12 counted on the Pocklington Canal at Melbourne on the 6th and three on the floods at North Duffield Carrs on the 27th. Great Crested Grebes were rather thin on the ground, however, with birds unusually absent from Castle Howard Lake! On the raptor front, notable records included a Rough-legged Buzzard reported from Buttercrambe on the 4th, a female Merlin flying south over Fulford Ings on the 28th and single Peregrines at Wheldrake Ings and North Duffield Carrs on several dates. A showy Water Rail performed to admirers in front of the Geoff Smith hide at North Duffield on the 6th while flooding in this area attracted a good number and variety of waders with large flocks of Golden Plover and Lapwing in particular; at least 2,000 of the former were flying around the Fulford Ings/Middlethorpe Ings area on the 28th when c.500 of the latter were on floods at Middlethorpe Ings. Good numbers of Ruff were present throughout the month in the North Duffield/Bubwith area but the only count received was of 77 at North Duffield Carrs on the 28th. Woodcock were seen at a few widely scattered localities with four in birch woodland at Heslington Common on the 1st being the highest count. Meanwhile, single Green Sandpipers were seen by Bubwith Bridge on the 6th and at Middlethorpe Ings on the 29th. A first-winter Yellow-legged Gull was identified at the latter spot the same day with at least five immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls also dropping in to drink and bathe while the only ‘white-winger’ reported was a juvenile Glaucous Gull at Harewood Whin landfill site on the 31st. The Water Pipit was still frequenting flooded fields near Catterton while three Waxwings were seen on a hedge by the side of the A1079 at Wilberfoss on the 22nd with a lingering bird in Strensall attracting much local interest in what has been a lean winter for the species; according to a local resident, there had been six birds there originally. A female Stonechat was seen distantly at North Duffield Carrs on the 6th with a pair noted at Heslington Tillmire on several dates while a male Blackcap was seen in a Copmanthorpe garden on the 15th. The elusive Siberian Chiffchaff remained at Fulford Ings until at least the 14th before flooding apparently forced it to move on; some supporting photographs were taken although attempts to trap the bird were unsuccessful. Two Nuthatches were calling in the grounds of Aldby Park near Buttercrambe on the 4th with one seen in the main car park at Castle Howard on the 6th. Up to four Bramblings were attracted to the feeders by the Geoff Smith hide at North Duffield Carrs early in the month while a single bird was seen in the car park at Bank Island on the 3rd with another found near Grimston on the 20th. Good numbers of Siskin were reported from many areas while at least 30 Lesser Redpolls were discovered feeding on nettle seeds at the end of Broadway West in Fulford and remained throughout the month, although there was a high turnover of birds with up to at least four Mealy Redpolls being picked out amongst the flock. Yellowhammers and Corn Buntings seemed to be rather scarce this month, however, with 20 of the former at Fulford Golf Course on the 16th and at least ten of the latter coming in to the roost at Melbourne on the 6th.